By Nancie Meng, Dan Pacheco
and Claire Capuzzi
Washingtonpost.com
Updated March 16, 1998

With April 15 around the corner, there's no more time for procrastination. These Web sites won't do your work for you, but they will make the whole process a lot less, well, taxing.

We'll fill your "tax pack" with some of the best tax tools on the Web. We'll surf through the Internal Revenue Service and some state tax pages so you'll get a sense of where to find forms, publications, and help. Let us guide you to some of the better directories on the Web and show you where you can get free advice. We'll even give you pointers for filing from a PC. While you're touring, keep track of your questions. You can get answers from our online CPA.

Editor's Note: Remember, the information from this guide and the sites it links to cannot replace the advice of a competent, certified tax expert who is fully informed about the specifics of your tax situation, and it is not meant to do so.

To take full advantage of the tax resources available on the Web, you'll need the proper equipment.

Do you wait until April 15 to find the one tax form that stands between you and filing by the midnight deadline? Or maybe you're a perpetually prepared taxpayer. Either way, you'll love the fact that many sites on our tour allow you to download forms. Pause now to set up your browser to read Adobe Acrobat "portable document format" (.pdf) files. Our Web Outfitter will show you the steps.

Don't know whether you're getting a refund? Try the following tax calculators to see if you're entitled to money back from the IRS: H&R Block Refund Calculator.

If you need to borrow money to pay your tax bill, let the QHS loan amortization calculator calculate how many monthly payments you'll have to make. And, those of you who expect a check from Uncle Sam or the state might want to invest your windfall. QHS has tools to help you make tax-free and taxable investment projections.

For a complete picture, you can use NetTax '9X to calculate your 1997 federal income taxes. The site is easy to navigate and gives thorough instructions. If you have questions as you fill in the form, it has quick and easy links to IRS information. You can choose between a secure or unsecure version of the program. We recommend the secure one (linked to above), even though you don't have to supply your name, social security number or e-mail address to use the calculator.

Searching through the all the tax information on the Web sounds overwhelming. Fortunately, there's a well-organized and comprehensive site with links to everything from audits to the U.S. Tax Code.

Expect to spend a great deal of time on Dennis Schmidt's tax site directory site. Select the articles page for materials from respected accounting firms, politicians, academic journals and other sources. The link to other tax directories is valuable as well.

Learn about the history of taxation and tax policy, get highlights of the changes in the tax law and find links to other tax sites at Tax World.

Finding state tax forms and information is often more difficult than finding federal tax resources. Here are a few sites than will help you locate state tax information:

Maryland taxpayers can get news releases, taxpayer assistance and other helpful information, including tax forms.

Virginia's forms are available for download, or you can place an online order for forms to be mailed to you.

The District of Columbia's chief financial officer's site has forms and more general information.

The sites for the states' taxation departments are as different as the states themselves. Visit Dennis Schmidt's state taxes page to surf through your state's site and see what's available.

Many Web sites offer free advice and information:

You can read an explanation of the 1997 Taxpayer Relief Act. Warning: This is a large file and may take a few minutes to download.

The Roth IRA site features conversion calculators; planners; a weekly column; and guides to books, audiotapes and software.

Freeadvice.com offers a limited amount of free legal advice in tax and other areas of the law. (You know what they say about free legal advice....)

Make sure to visit the site of the experts: Join the American Institute of CPAs in their online tax discussions plus read through checklists and tax preparation guides, software recommendations and other resources.

A virtual visit to a government taxing agency's Web site beats a face-to-face meeting any day. Just ask anyone who's been audited by state or federal officials and lived to tell about it.

The IRS Home Page invites you to have a cup of coffee, open your mailbox, and see what's new. The Digital Daily appears faster than a 1040EZ to remind you how many days you have left before April 15. You can get where you want to go from there, but the fastest way to find what you need is with the site tree. You can scroll through a detailed menu of items or use hyperlinks at the bottom of the page. File managers will help you download forms, publications, and regulations. There's so much here that we could do a whole expedition on this site alone, but these hot spots are enough to get you started.

The IRS estimates that filing electronically could cut down the time it takes to get a refund check from 40 days to three weeks.

Read the IRS FAQ about how to file electronically. If you don't read anything else, remember that you must mail in a 8453-OL form.

Browse this list of participating companies to find tax filing software. It will link you to the companies' home pages, which often allow you to express order the software over the Web.

Stumped by that 1040EZ form? Wondering whether you qualify as "head of household"? Get your list of questions together and consult online with Ronald E. Polichnowski, CPA, washingtonpost.com's tax expert.